Maria Sharapova withdrew from the WTA Rogers Cup just moments after beating Marta Domachowska 7-5 5-7 6-2 in the second round.
Shoulder injury puts Russian's Olympic participation in doubt
Maria Sharapova withdrew from the WTA Rogers Cup just moments after winning a marathon second-round match againsy Marta Domachowska.
The third-seeded Sharapova needed two hours, 56 minutes to beat unseeded Domachowska of Poland 7-5 5-7 6-2 and then pulled out of the tournament with an injured right shoulder.
"Coming into this tournament I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to compete," Sharapova said.
"In the last few weeks I've been trying to find a solution to the aggravation I did to the shoulder back at Indian Wells in one of my matches. I haven't found the solution yet.
"I just spoke to a couple of doctors and they advised me to try to find the cause of the problem, what's causing my bursitis, because they think there's something else behind it rather than just that."
Tested
Sharapova was scheduled to play a third round match against Japan's Ai Sugiyama who, as a result of the injury has been awarded the win in a walkover.
Top seed Ana Ivanovic played her first match since a below-par showing at Wimbledon and was tested by unseeded Czech Petra Kvitova before advancing 6-3 4-6 6-3.
"It wasn't the best match I've played," Ivanovic said. "She played a match before this week and for me it was the first match since Wimbledon.
"So in the beginning I obviously struggled to find my rhythm a little bit. But I'm happy I won. You have to win even if you don't play your best. That was the case for me today."
Like Roger Federer, Ivanovic's No. 1 ranking has come under threat recently as countrywoman Jelena Jankovic had a chance to overtake her with a win at Los Angeles. A semi-final loss to Safina, however, crushed Jankovic's opportunity.
Because she lost her first match in Montreal last season, Ivanovic is in position to pick up some ranking points this week and put some distance between herself and the other top five players.
Chakvetadze through
The parade of talent also included second-seeded Jankovic, who overcame a partisan crowd in a 6-0 6-4 victory over Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak in the second round.
Jankovic needed an hour to dispose of Wozniak, winning six of nine break-point opportunities.
Sixth-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze breezed into the third round with a 6-2 7-5 win over Jill Craybas.
Ninth seed Patty Schnyder, No.11 Victoria Azarenka and No.12 Nadia Petrova are also safely through to the third round. Sugiyama is the first to make it to the quarter-finals.
Tenth seed Marion Bartoli of France progressed when her opponent, Alisa Kleybanova of Russia, withdrew with an injured back.
Meanwhile, the WTA have also announced that Jankovic and Ivanovic have become the first two players to qualify for this year's Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha.
